Brooks Levitate 2

Name: Brooks Levitate 2
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.7 (23 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.2 oz · 8mm drop · 26/18mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Levitate 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Levitate 2 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 23 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the Levitate product line.

Excellent

96/100

Overall

Excellent 96

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Excellent 97

Durability

Excellent 96

Appearance

Very good 91

Value

Below average 69

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

93/100

High 93

What runners say

“Rubber outsole, especially in the back, wore out and started burning through the AMP foam quicker than any shoe ever owned”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“Springy feel, lightweight, responsive”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“Only got through 150-200 miles before the integrity of the shoe was compromised”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“Solid. Almost bulky. And yet I loved it from the minute I slipped it on”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO 2

“Felt warm, and in downpours the shoes felt like cement blocks”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“My foot doesn't move at all”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Responsive and a nice ride but not too soft”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 23

“Lasted over 300 miles without any type of structural damage”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 2

“Bottom of the shoe seems to wear through rather quickly”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 2

“Tread is not great and can be slippery”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

Prefer this shoe over another

60% 15/25

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Runners report heavy cushioning that keeps legs fresh on long, easy miles.
Reviewers find the knit upper comfortable and secure without break-in.
Reviewers report 450 to 600 miles from a pair.

Cons

Several reviewers call it heavy at 11.2 oz and clunky at faster paces.
Three runners find traction slippery on wet roads and dirt.
Two reviewers have the outsole wear through fast, one at 150 to 200 miles.

Levitate 2 rates 96. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Levitate

Each dot is one version of the Levitate, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

59 2017 96 2018 81 2019 82 2022

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Levitate 6

2022 · 5 reviews

82 Good

40 Confidence
Levitate 3

2019 · 1 review

81 Good

32 Confidence
Levitate 2 This shoe

2018 · 23 reviews

96 Excellent

93 Confidence
Levitate

2017 · 20 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

92 Confidence

Reader Ratings

23 ratings

5/5 16

4/5 7

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.2 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $150
Stack Height: 26mm heel - 18mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 10, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Grid 8000

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Great shoe I will buy another

5/5

Overall

I tried on a number of shoes in the running store and instantly preferred the levitate 2. I'm from Ireland and they cost €170 so I was a bit worried about spending this much money. But I'm glad I did. The toe box is narrow but I have narrow feet and prefer a tight toe box so it suits me nicely. They are incredibly comfortable. After you tie your laces the anlke area looks like it isn't fitting your foot properly but my foot doesn't move AT All. I give the laces an extra tight pull anyway. There is a lot of lace so I tie about 4 knots. They were my only shoes for a long time so I used them for long runs as well as tempos, track work and even 5km races. I found they worked well but have since bought a more flat shoe for speed sessions and races and I can notice the difference in speed. I've owned them for under a year and have put around 600km on them and I do feel they have lost their "spring". Having said this I love the shoe and will be buying another pair.

Anonymous runner · Aug 6, 2019

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 3/5

Heavy But nice to run in

4/5

Overall

I really like this shoe cause it has a lot of bounce and is very comfy, however it is well known that this shoe is also very heavy.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Brooks levitate 2 review

4/5

Overall

I’ve only run a little bit over 100 miles in these shoes but they have been great. They have a good amount of traction but are a little bit slippery on trail runs, overall appearance is good, and they are very comfortable.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17